OU defeated No. 5 overall seed North Carolina 9-3 in Game 1 of the College World Series championship at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Sooners (42-22) are looking to win their first College World Series championship since 1994, while the Tar Heels (53-13-1) are looking for their first in program history.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
OU unstoppable at the plate
The Sooners’ dominance at the plate has been a major force in their NCAA Tournament run.
This continued on Saturday with their ninth and tenth home runs of the College World Series, courtesy of junior catcher Deiten Lachance.
OU is scoring 9.4 runs per game in the NCAA Tournament and has posted nine games scoring eight or more runs. The Sooners put up seven earned runs against the Tar Heels' junior right-handed ace Jason DeCaro, who has allowed only 24 earned runs ahead of the game and came in with a 2.31 ERA. The Sooners' steady offensive attack in Game 1 now accounts for 23% of DeCaro’s earned runs on the entire season.
The Sooners’ nine runs on Saturday are also more than they scored in both games of the 2022 championship series, as they scored just five runs against Mississippi that year.
Sooners stay perfect in Omaha
OU became the last remaining team in Omaha to retain a perfect record as they defeated UNC, which also entered the game with a perfect 3-0 College World Series record.
Saturday’s win marked the Sooners’ ninth in a row, which is their longest winning streak of the season dating back to May 31, when OU defeated The Citadel (36-26) 15-5. It was also OU’s first finals game win since June 11, 1994, as OU failed to defeat Mississippi a single time in the 2022 championship series.
The Sooners’ postseason run has been one of the most improbable in men's collegiate sports this year. OU has been the favorite to win just three times since the start of the NCAA Tournament, favored in both games against The Citadel in the Atlanta Regional and its Omaha opener against No. 7 Alabama (42-21), but it has yet to play like the underdog outside of the lone loss over that span to No. 2 Georgia Tech (50-11) on May 30. The unprecedented postseason run has resulted in a 10-1 NCAA Tournament record and a 4-0 record in Omaha so far.
Sooners on the brink of school, conference history
OU is just a single win away from capturing its third national championship and the Southeastern Conference’s seventh straight.
Currently, the Pac-12 sits atop the college baseball world with 18 national titles, with the SEC just a title behind at 17. The conference’s recent dominance was on full display when five out of the eight teams to make it to Omaha were from the SEC. With the way the brackets shaped up, the conference was guaranteed a championship series bid, as OU’s path featured No. 3 Georgia (53-14), No. 6 Texas (46-15) and Alabama.
The Sooners also have the chance to break a 25-year drought of national championships in the three major men’s collegiate sports: football, basketball and baseball. OU’s last title in that category came on January 3, 2001, when the Sooners defeated Florida State in the Orange Bowl, claiming the program's seventh national championship.
Next, OU faces UNC in Game 2 of the College World Series championship series at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Charles Schwab Field on ABC.
Here are live updates:
Sooners tack on more
Highlight: Junior infielder Camden Johnson scores a run.
Score: OU 9-3 North Carolina
Inning: Top of ninth
Dayton Tockey crosses home plate
Highlight: Senior infielder Dayton Tockey scores a run after junior outfielder Jason Walk's hit to bat him in.
Score: OU 8-3 North Carolina
Inning: Top of sixth
Jason Walk scores a run for OU
Highlight: Walk crosses home plate, with Johnson's run batted in.
Score: OU 7-3 North Carolina
Inning: Top of fourth
Sooners expand lead
Highlight: Junior outfielder Jason Walk with the run batted, scoring sophomore infielder Kyle Branch.
Score: OU 6-3 North Carolina
Inning: Top of fourth
Sooners take 2-run lead
Highlight: Branch with the run batted in, bringing home junior outfielder Dasan Harris and junior catcher Brendan Brock.
Score: OU 5-3 North Carolina
Inning: Top of fourth
Lachance with another home run
Highlight: Junior catcher Deiten Lachance hits a solo home run.
Score: OU 3-3 North Carolina
Inning: Top of third
North Carolina takes the lead
Highlight: Junior infielder Gavin Gallaher scores a run, with the run batted in coming from graduate student catcher Colin Hynek.
Score: North Carolina 3-2 OU
Inning: Bottom of first
Tar Heels even scoreboard
Highlight: Junior infielder Gavin Gallaher with the run batted in, scoring junior infielder Jake Schaffner and junior outfielder Owen Hull.
Score: OU 2-2 North Carolina
Inning: Bottom of first
Deiten Lachance home run in 1st inning
Highlight: Lachance blasts a two-run homer, scoring Johnson as well.
Score: OU 2-0 North Carolina
Inning: Top of first
OU arrives pregame
Sooners arrive at Charles Schwab Field Omaha for Game 1 of the College World Series championship against North Carolina.
